Injury crock Lewis-Francis playing catch up in build up to Aviva World Trials

If athletes won medals for long service in rehab, Mark Lewis-Francis would have a chest-full.

Last year's European and Commonwealth 100metres silver medallist returns to racing on Wednesday night after another five weeks with the medics. Lewis-Francis is running to catch up, as so often in his career.

The Aviva World Trials are 23 days away and he has yet to achieve the qualifying time for selection in Daegu, South Korea, in late August.

Even by racing against 2004 Olympic champion Justin Gatlin in Reims, he is taking a chance.

Dr Mueller-Wohlfahrt, the Bayern Munich doctor he consulted, advised him to leave it a little longer but he wants to run against Asafa Powell in the Aviva British Grand Prix in his home city of Birmingham on Sunday and did not want to arrive there race rusty.

It has been five weeks since he suffered an adductor muscle strain, the same injury that cost him eight weeks of rehabilitation when it 'popped' in February.

And the lows... but is helped from the track after injuring himself earlier this year

This time it was another adductor. He could not walk the next morning because of the pain in his lower stomach.

For sprinters such injuries are work related, but as Lewis-Francis said: 'I have been extra unlucky. Judging by how fast I was as a junior (9.97sec) I would be a lot further on now but for injuries.'

So no wonder he lives today with the Big If. Like about tonight's race and this season's prospects.

'I am keeping my fingers crossed to see if I get a good outcome,' he said. 'It's not been the greatest of years for me but it's there if I can get healthy.'